Two of the Western Cape province's three refugee camps are to close by Friday, but reintegrated families say they have been attacked by locals and a volunteer at one of the camps says eight refugees have been killed since returning to communities.
Men and women waited at the entrance to the Harmony Park camp, near Strand, on Sunday to be transported to nearby communities. Many of the tents were empty, and some had been dismantled.
Two reintegrated women said their lives had been threatened on Friday night at the nearby Nomzamo settlement.
"About two in the morning, men came to the window and said we must give them our money or they would kill us. They said they knew we had been given money by the camp," said Eneresi Namakunde, who is from Zimbabwe.
Namakunde and her friend, Jessy Pamburai, said they escaped and slept on the street.
"Now we don't have anywhere to go. We don't have anything."
Camp spokesperson John Kisomezi said at least two families and two men had also returned.
"They had been beaten all over their bodies," he said.
Mercy Katuruza, from Zimbabwe, said: "We are scared, but there is nothing we can do."
Katuruza is to be reintegrated before Wednesday, but is worried about Thomas Sithole, an HIV-positive Mozambican for whom she has been caring.
In a nearly empty tent, Sithole lay in bed on Sunday at lunch. He appeared thin and sickly.
The department of home affairs has said he must return to Mozambique within 14 days, but doctors have told him he needs to stay and go on a course of anti-retrovirals, without which he will not survive.
"He cannot begin the ARVs now because they may not be available in Mozambique," Kataruza said.
"It's not safe for him to go."
Hildegarde Fast, head of the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre, said she could not comment specifically on Sithole's case, but he should speak to the camp co-ordinator.
Katuraza said camp authorities were aware of Sithole, but she did not trust that they could care for him.
"When we were packing our things, no one gave Thomas his food that day."
Fast said reintegration was a work in progress and that once the camps closed, the government would continue to create safe conditions for refugees.
"Facilitators have been deployed in communities people fled from. They are working with community leaders."
There had been successes, Fast said. Three reconciliation events had been held throughout the province. But Tracey Saunders, a volunteer, said she did not trust this explanation.
"Where are these facilitators? And what are they doing?"
Eight of the people from the Soetwater camp alone had been murdered since returning to communities, Saunders said.
She said the work the facilitators were doing needed to be made visible to refugees in the camps who feared for their lives. - Cape Times
Men and women waited at the entrance to the Harmony Park camp, near Strand, on Sunday to be transported to nearby communities. Many of the tents were empty, and some had been dismantled.
Two reintegrated women said their lives had been threatened on Friday night at the nearby Nomzamo settlement.
"About two in the morning, men came to the window and said we must give them our money or they would kill us. They said they knew we had been given money by the camp," said Eneresi Namakunde, who is from Zimbabwe.
Namakunde and her friend, Jessy Pamburai, said they escaped and slept on the street.
"Now we don't have anywhere to go. We don't have anything."
Camp spokesperson John Kisomezi said at least two families and two men had also returned.
"They had been beaten all over their bodies," he said.
Mercy Katuruza, from Zimbabwe, said: "We are scared, but there is nothing we can do."
Katuruza is to be reintegrated before Wednesday, but is worried about Thomas Sithole, an HIV-positive Mozambican for whom she has been caring.
In a nearly empty tent, Sithole lay in bed on Sunday at lunch. He appeared thin and sickly.
The department of home affairs has said he must return to Mozambique within 14 days, but doctors have told him he needs to stay and go on a course of anti-retrovirals, without which he will not survive.
"He cannot begin the ARVs now because they may not be available in Mozambique," Kataruza said.
"It's not safe for him to go."
Hildegarde Fast, head of the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre, said she could not comment specifically on Sithole's case, but he should speak to the camp co-ordinator.
Katuraza said camp authorities were aware of Sithole, but she did not trust that they could care for him.
"When we were packing our things, no one gave Thomas his food that day."
Fast said reintegration was a work in progress and that once the camps closed, the government would continue to create safe conditions for refugees.
"Facilitators have been deployed in communities people fled from. They are working with community leaders."
There had been successes, Fast said. Three reconciliation events had been held throughout the province. But Tracey Saunders, a volunteer, said she did not trust this explanation.
"Where are these facilitators? And what are they doing?"
Eight of the people from the Soetwater camp alone had been murdered since returning to communities, Saunders said.
She said the work the facilitators were doing needed to be made visible to refugees in the camps who feared for their lives. - Cape Times
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